Revolutionizing rheumatoid arthritis treatment with emerging cutaneous drug delivery systems: overcoming the challenges and paving the way forward.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the articulating joints. Though considerable progress has been made in understanding the disease in the past 50 years, its pathogenesis remains unclear. The therapies for RA, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, and glucocorticoids through conventional therapeutic delivery systems by percutaneous, intra-articular, intraperitoneal, oral, and intravenous administration, have shown their own disadvantages, which eventually reduce patient compliance for long-term therapy.

In Situ Bioprinting: Process, Bioinks, and Applications.

Traditional tissue engineering methods face challenges, such as fabrication, implantation of irregularly shaped scaffolds, and limited accessibility for immediate healthcare providers. In situ bioprinting, an alternate strategy, involves direct deposition of biomaterials, cells, and bioactive factors at the site, facilitating on-site fabrication of intricate tissue, which can offer a patient-specific personalized approach and align with the principles of precision medicine. It can be applied using a handled device and robotic arms to various tissues, including skin, bone, cartilage, muscle, and composite tissues.

Rivastigmine-DHA ion-pair complex improved loading in hybrid nanoparticles for better amyloid inhibition and nose-to-brain targeting in Alzheimer's.

Rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate (RIV-HT) is given orally for Alzheimer's disease. However, oral therapy shows low brain bioavailability, short half-life and gastrointestinal-mediated adverse effects. RIV-HT intranasal delivery can avoid these side effects, but its low brain bioavailability remains challenging.

Intranasal nanotherapeutics for brain targeting and clinical studies in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second leading neurodegenerative disease globally, impacting the quality of life of millions of people. It is estimated that the treatment cost of PD in the USA can rise to 79 billion dollars by 2037. Limited drugs are approved by USFDA, which only provides symptomatic relief.

Self-Assembled Lecithin-Chitosan Nanoparticles Improved Rotigotine Nose-to-Brain Delivery and Brain Targeting Efficiency.

Rotigotine (RTG) is a non-ergoline dopamine agonist and an approved drug for treating Parkinson's disease. However, its clinical use is limited due to various problems, viz. poor oral bioavailability (<1%), low aqueous solubility, and extensive first-pass metabolism.

Design, Characterization and Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Poloxamer and Kappa-Carrageenan-Based Dual-Responsive In Situ Gel of Nebivolol for Treatment of Open-Angle Glaucoma.

This study developed a dual-responsive in situ gel of nebivolol (NEB), a selective β-adrenergic antagonist. The gel could achieve sustained concentrations in the aqueous humor to effectively treat glaucoma. The gel was prepared using a combination of poloxamers (Poloxamer-407 (P407) and Poloxamer-188 (P188)) and kappa-carrageenan (κCRG) as thermo-responsive and ion-sensitive polymers, respectively.

Current clinical status of new COVID-19 vaccines and immunotherapy.

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a positive-strand RNA belonging to Coronaviridae family, along with MERS and SARS. Since its first report in 2019 in Wuhan, China, it has affected over 530 million people and led to 6.3 million deaths worldwide until June 2022.

App-Based Yoga of Immortals: A Novel, Easy-to-use Intervention in the Management of Urinary Incontinence.

Objective: To study the effectiveness Yoga of Immortals (YOI) intervention in participants with urinary incontinence (UI) of all types. YOI uniquely combines specific yogic postures, breathing exercises, sound therapy & meditation and is practiced by many for general well-being.

Materials And Methods: In this App-based cohort study, a survey was sent to the YOI app subscribers.

Advances in 3D bioprinting of tissues/organs for regenerative medicine and in-vitro models.

Tissue/organ shortage is a major medical challenge due to donor scarcity and patient immune rejections. Furthermore, it is difficult to predict or mimic the human disease condition in animal models during preclinical studies because disease phenotype differs between humans and animals. Three-dimensional bioprinting (3DBP) is evolving into an unparalleled multidisciplinary technology for engineering three-dimensional (3D) biological tissue with complex architecture and composition.

Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) fruit extracts exhibit apoptotic activity against lung cancer cells.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The dried fruits of Amomum subulatum Roxb. (A. subulatum) are widely used as a spice.

Polymeric Hydrogels for Controlled Release of Black Tea and Coffee Extracts for Topical Applications.

Tea and coffee are popular beverages. Both are also used in topical applications, such as ultraviolet (UV) protection, anti-aging, and wound healing. However, the impact of tea and coffee extract on skin cells is minimally explored.

Enhancement of Skin Delivery of Drugs Using Proposome Depends on Drug Lipophilicity.

The study aims to investigate the propylene glycol-based liposomes named 'proposomes' in enhancing skin permeation of drugs with different physicochemical properties. Ibuprofen, tofacitinib citrate, rhodamine B, and lidocaine were loaded into proposomes. These drug formulations were analyzed for particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, entrapment efficiency, and in vitro skin permeation.

Effectiveness of App-Based Yoga of Immortals (YOI) Intervention for Insomnia in Asian Population during Pandemic Restrictions.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created significant psychological challenges worldwide, including stress, emotional distress, and insomnia. In addition, social distancing, travel restrictions, and spread of disease have resulted in unique challenges, creating barriers to healthcare access. Compared to the rate prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant increase in clinical insomnia rates have been reported.

Clinical therapies and nano drug delivery systems for urinary bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer is the 10 most commonly occurring malignancy worldwide with a 75% of 5-year survival rate, while it ranks 13 among the deaths occurring due to cancer. The majority of bladder cancer cases are diagnosed at an early stage and 70% are of non-invasive grade. However, 70% of these cases develop chemoresistance and progress to the muscle invasive stage.

Microneedles with Tunable Dissolution Rate.

Dissolvable microneedle (MN) patches have been widely investigated for transdermal drug delivery. The dissolution rate of MN controls the status of drug release from the MN, which in turn determines drug absorption through skin. However, no systematic approaches have been reported to tune the dissolution profile of dissolvable MN matrices.

High resolution photopolymer for 3D printing of personalised microneedle for transdermal delivery of anti-wrinkle small peptide.

Acetyl-hexapeptide 3 (AHP-3) has good efficacy and safety profile as an anti-wrinkle small peptide. However, its skin permeation is poor due to its hydrophilicity and large molecular weight. 3D printing of personalised microneedles (MN), that contour to the skin surface, offers an attractive alternative for delivery for AHP-3.

Self-assembled lecithin-chitosan nanoparticles improve the oral bioavailability and alter the pharmacokinetics of raloxifene.

In this study, we report the development and evaluation of soy lecithin-chitosan hybrid nanoparticles to improve the oral bioavailability of raloxifene hydrochloride. The nanoparticles were formed by interaction of negatively charged soy lecithin with positively charged chitosan. The ratio of soy lecithin to chitosan was critical for the charge, and hence the size of the nanoparticles.

Proposome for transdermal delivery of tofacitinib.

Tofacitinib citrate (TC) has recently gained interest in treating skin disorders such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and baldness. Unfortunately, the oral administration shows side effects, such as decreased neutrophil counts. To this end, the topical delivery of TC can be used to reduce the risk associated with systemic exposure.

Oral Bioavailability Enhancement of Raloxifene with Nanostructured Lipid Carriers.

Raloxifene hydrochloride (RLX) shows poor bioavailability (<2%), high inter-patient variability and extensive gut metabolism (>90%). The objective of this study was to develop nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for RLX to enhance its bioavailability. The NLC formulations were produced with glyceryl tribehenate and oleic acid.

Functional Catechol-Metal Polymers via Interfacial Polymerization for Applications in Water Purification.

Phenols and polyphenols have been used as a scaffold for generating multidimensional molecular architectures via complexation with metal ions. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of metallopolymer films from three catechol derivatives having different alkyl/aryl substituents via complexation with iron and copper ions at the organic-water interface. Such interfacial polymerization is instantaneous, one step to generate functional materials, and gives good control over the organization of repeating units along the film.

Rapid microneedle fabrication by heating and photolithography.

Many fabrication methods for microneedle (MN) involve harsh conditions and long drying time. This study aims to fabricate a dissolving MN patch in a simple and efficient manner under mild conditions, using a combination of thermal and photo polymerisation. The MN patch was fabricated by pre-polymerisation of vinylpyrrolidone solution with heating followed by photolithography.

Oleic Acid Nanovesicles of Minoxidil for Enhanced Follicular Delivery.

Current topical minoxidil (MXD) formulations involve an unpleasant organic solvent which causes patient incompliance in addition to side effects in some cases. Therefore, the objective of this work was to develop an MXD formulation providing enhanced follicular delivery and reduced side effects. Oleic acid, being a safer material, was utilized to prepare the nanovesicles, which were characterized for size, entrapment efficiency, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, and morphology.

Micro and nanoneedles for drug delivery and biosensing.

Delivering therapeutics in a painless manner is one of the many objectives for the treatment of clinical conditions. Micro and nanoneedles are small-scale devices that can help overcome the resistance encountered during drug diffusion by creating conduits of small dimensions through biomembranes. Microneedles for drug delivery applications were manually produced until the 1990s and after this the high precision technology from the semiconductor industry was adopted for their production [ 1 ].

3D printed drug delivery and testing systems - a passing fad or the future?

The US Food and Drug Administration approval of the first 3D printed tablet in 2015 has ignited growing interest in 3D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), for drug delivery and testing systems. Beyond just a novel method for rapid prototyping, AM provides key advantages over traditional manufacturing of drug delivery and testing systems. These includes the ability to fabricate complex geometries to achieve variable drug release kinetics; ease of personalising pharmacotherapy for patient and lowering the cost for fabricating personalised dosages.

Fabrication of non-dissolving analgesic suppositories using 3D printed moulds.

Conventional suppositories sometimes fail in exerting their therapeutic activity as the base materials melt inside body cavities. Also they are not suitable to provide long term treatment. Biomedical grade silicone elastomers may be used to fabricate non-dissolvable suppositories to overcome these disadvantages.